


A Special Type of Love

by hopscotch_with_stars (orphan_account)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers Family, Fluff, One Shot, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-09 09:08:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16446932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/hopscotch_with_stars
Summary: “I am honored,” James Rhodes projected, casting his voice around the circular room, “that Tony made the mistake of letting me speak at his wedding tonight.”Tony and Pepper's wedding speech... by the one James "Rhodey" Rhodes.





	A Special Type of Love

Rhodey stood.

This had gradually become a thing of less difficulty--thanks to Tony, he thought, with a familiar bubbling of affection. All thanks to Tony. His best friend, who had helped him through physical therapy with a poorly disguised air of mother-henning, who had designed him prosthetics and fussed after his wobbly steps. 

Tony. Who was now married. 

Rhodey’s grin was bursting as he lifted his champagne glass (crystal, rimmed in 24 karat gold, for Tony Stark really did deserve, and could pay for, the best). With a few ringing clinks of silverware against the glass, a hush spread across the ballroom. 

He cast his eyes around the candle-lit room: the domed ceiling, arching gracefully above them, glass surface revealing a wide cast of the star-strewn sky, so unlike the polluted nights in the city; the circular tables, adorned with delicate arrays of flowers bursting from their vases and overladen plates of eloquent dishes; the smiles and laughter smeared amongst the room in near-infectant levels. It was undoubtedly a small affair, for a Stark wedding. Even if Tony had ordered this entire ballroom to be built solely for this purpose with a wide-eyed: Pepper, let’s personalize it! 

Despite the elegantly designed set up--perfect for anniversary getaways, too, the bride and groom had agreed--the event itself hosted the bare minimum of guests. It wasn’t eloping, quite, but Pepper, wanting a personal gathering, had been careful not to invite anyone who was liable to slip anything to the press about the dates. 

Tony had nearly kicked Barton off the guest list, just for that. 

But here they were--and there was Clint, feet propped up on a table, grinning up at Rhodey, standing above him. As the room quieted down, the archer wolf-whistled at the Colonel, who ignored him. 

“I am honored,” James Rhodes projected, casting his voice around the circular room, “that Tony made the mistake of letting me speak at his wedding tonight.”

There was a bought of laughter. Tones, from his table-of-two with a near-radiant Pepper, lifted a peace sign. 

“Tony and I go way back,” Rhodey continued. “Far enough back that I can recite nearly every one of his scandalous tales of debauchery.” Pepper had helped him with that line. She was resigned to be his editor, even if it was her wedding speech he was writing up.

“Far enough that, if I wanted, I could stand up here and recite the Tony Horror Story of 1986.” As predicted, Tony’s eyes widened in alarm, and he clamored to his feet, shaking a threatening finger--but Rhodey cut his threats off. “...but I won’t, because I’m a good friend. But, if any of you are interested, ask me later. 1986. The story with the pink umbrella. There’s also another from 1991 with a--”

“CUT TO THE POINT, JAMES!” Tony yelled out, to a smattering of laughter. 

“Right.” Rhodey straightened his tie. “Well, the main point, of all those stories, was that I never thought Tony would find a single person who would be able to last with him in a relationship. Hell, I never thought anyone would be able to handle him on one date. I mean, really handle him. Sorry, Tones.” 

Tony shrugged as if admitting the truth of his friends’ words. 

“But I remember the very day when Virginia Pepper Potts walked into the office. She was interviewing for the position of Tony’s assistant, and I was there because he was hoping to make this decision a quality one, and the moment she walked in, Tony lit up. I mean, like a Christmas tree. It was really, really cliche.

“And Pepper soared through the interview. I mean, she had barely gotten halfway through when Tony snapped his fingers and announced, ‘You’re hired.’ Tones claimed it was because he’s intuitive. But I could tell, from the moment Pepper started talking ‘business,’ that my best friend was in love. Like, head-over-heels.

“Just after Tony announced that she was hired, Pepper looked him straight in the eye, and said, ‘Now, I hope you understand, Mr. Stark. My relationship with my bosses is, and always will be, purely personal.’”

At the table below him, Clint spat his drink, spewing liquid onto a one Captain Steve Rogers. Nat and Bruce exchanged sappy smiles. There might very well be another wedding around here, someday. 

“Now, I was just waiting for the joke, the innuendo,” Rhodey carried on, “but Tony just stared her back, and completely serious for once, answered, ‘okay.’

“And that was that. And, to this day, Pepper’s pronouncement of I’ll never love my boss has been the one and only time I have witnessed her lying. Even that might not be a lie, because I was always confused over who was the boss of who in their professional relationship. 

“It was a real relief. Finally, I had found someone who could rein Tony in. Whenever he was with her--well, I’ll admit, I was initially a little jealous. Here was my best friend, who I had met at fourteen, who was wild and untamable and never, ever listened to me, and he was suddenly totally at ease, and heeding the words of a near stranger. It was crazy. It was disconcerting. But, the more time I spent with Pepper, the more times I watched Tony’s chaotic energy calm in her presence, the more I realized that my best friend had finally, finally found someone who really, really fit him.”

Thor hiccuped.

“Pepper and Tony’s relationship is unique. It can’t be found anywhere else. Despite all the times that Pepper confided with me, ‘I can’t stand that man!’ Despite all the times that Tony pouted that, ‘Pepper’s making me work!’ I could tell: they clicked. Somehow, these people, these polar opposites, fit together perfectly. The sun to the moon, silver to gold, all that shit. 

“Pepper and Tony… they have a special kind of love.”

From his table, next to a clearly elated Peter, Happy let out a long sniff, eyes suspiciously wet. 

Pepper, adorned in a dazzling gown and an equally dazzling smile, gazed up at him with eyes bursting with warmth. Next to her, Tony--hair sticking out at awkward angles thanks to his worrying hands--was smiling just as wide, his grin near infectious as he clambered to his feet. “So, to that love… cake?” 

Once again, the room reverberated with laughter, warm and full. 

As Rhodey settled back into his chair, lips tugging, Sam grinned over at him conspiratorially. “So… Story of umbrellas. 1986. Spill.”

Rhodey laughed. He looked over, towards the bright-eyed Tony--who was now sporting a smear of frosting across his nose as Pepper struggled to hand feed him dessert. 

Sorry, Tones. Our team is gonna tease you mercilessly after this. 

But, as he started his story, Rhodey hardly believed that his best friend would mind.


End file.
